Network configuration and routing

ABSTRACT

A system may install a trunk between a first switch and an end office, where the trunk is a trunk home for the end office. The system may further identify Numeric Numbering exchanges (NXXs) that home to the end office. Traffic for at least one of the identified NXXs is routed to the end office through a second switch that is different than the first switch. The system also causes traffic for the identified NXXs to be routed to the first switch.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Routing long distance telephone calls from a calling party to a calledparty may involve routing the telephone call from a first end office,associated with the calling party, through a long distance network to asecond end office, associated with the called party. A number of networkdevices may be involved in this routing process. The changes incurred bythe long distance service provider may be based on which network devicesare involved in the routing process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary network in which systems and methods, consistentwith exemplary embodiments, may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a network management device ofFIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary functional block diagram of the networkmanagement device of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of a database that may be associated withthe network management device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram of a portion of a long distanceswitch of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of a portion of a computer-readablemedium that may be associated with the long distance switch of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of a portion of a computer-readablemedium that may be associated with a switch of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for changing networkrouting according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 9-11 are exemplary graphical user interfaces that may be providedto a user of the user device of FIG. 1 according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for routing traffic in anetwork after a new direct end office trunk has been installed;

FIGS. 13A-13H illustrate an example of the processing described abovewith respect to FIGS. 8 and 12; and

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate an example of a virtual destination in asituation where a first end office homes to a second end office.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of exemplary embodiments refers tothe accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in differentdrawings may identify the same or similar elements. Also, the followingdetailed description does not limit the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary network 100 in which systems and methods,consistent with exemplary embodiments, may be implemented. Asillustrated, network 100 may include a network management device 110, auser device 120, a network 130, a long distance network 140, a longdistance switch 145, a group of switches 150-A and 150-B (referred tocollectively as “switches 150”), a group of tandem switches (TN) 160-Ato 160-C (referred to collectively as “tandem switches 160”), and an endoffice (EO) 170. The number of network management devices, user devices,networks, long distance networks, long distance switches, switches,tandem switches, and end offices illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided forsimplicity. In practice, there may be more or fewer network managementdevices, user devices, networks, long distance networks, long distanceswitches, switches, tandem switches, and end offices.

Network management device 110 may include a server entity. An entity maybe defined as a device, such as a computer, a laptop, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), or another type of computation or communication device,a thread or process running on one of these devices, and/or an objectexecutable by one of these devices. In one embodiment, networkmanagement device 110 may allow users of user device 120 to configurenetwork devices for routing traffic and to facilitate troubleshootingnetwork problems.

User device 120 may include a client entity. As indicated above, anentity may be defined as a device, such as a computer, a laptop, a PDA,or another type of computation or communication device, a thread orprocess running on one of these devices, and/or an object executable byone of these devices. In one embodiment, user device 120 may allow auser to interact with network management device 110 for configuringnetwork devices to route traffic and to facilitate troubleshootingnetwork problems.

Network 130 may include one or more networks of any type, including aPublic Land Mobile Network (PLMN), a Public Switched Telephone Network(PSTN), a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), awide area network (WAN), a private network, the Internet, an intranet,and/or another type of network. Network management device 110 and userdevice 120 may connect to network 130 via wired and/or wirelessconnections.

Long distance network 140 may include one or more networks that providelong distance telephone service. Long distance network 140 may include agroup of long distance switches, such as long distance switch 145, thatroutes traffic for long distance network 140. Long distance switch 145may include one or more switches that receive traffic and route thetraffic towards the appropriate destination based, for example, oninformation associated with the received traffic, such as headerinformation. In one implementation, long distance switch 145 may routetraffic based on, for example, information identifying a NumericNumbering eXchange (NXX) with which the traffic is associated. The NXXmay be defined as exchange information that identifies the end officehome to the subscriber to which the traffic is destined.

Switches 150 may include class 3 switches. Switches 150 may receivetraffic from long distance network 140 and may route traffic toward theappropriate end office. Switches 150 may also receive traffic and mayroute the traffic toward long distance network 140. In oneimplementation, one or more of switches 150 may be associated with atrunk that connects switches 150 directly with an end office. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 1, switch 150-A may be associated with adirect end office termination (DEOT) trunk 155 that connects switch150-A to end office 170. DEOT trunk 155 may include one or more lines orlinks that allow for traffic to be transferred directly from switch150-A to end office 170. DEOT trunk 155 may allow for traffic to berouted to end office 170 more cheaply than routing the traffic through atandem switch.

Tandem switches 160 may include class 3 or 4 switches that switch callsbetween end offices. As illustrated in FIG. 1, tandem switch 160-A mayconnect switch 150-A to end office 170. Tandem switch 160-A may connectto switch 150-A and end office 170 via trunks. Tandem switch 160-B mayconnect switch 150-B to end office 170. Tandem switch 160-B may connectto switch 150-B and end office 170 via trunks. Tandem switch 160-C mayalso connect switch 150-B to end office 170. Tandem switch 160-C mayconnect to switch 150-B and end office 170 via trunks. Each tandemswitch 160-A to 160-C may home a different group of NXXs to end office170. For example, tandem switch 160-A may home a first group of NXXs toend office 170, tandem switch 160-B may home a second group of NXXs toend office 170, and tandem switch 160-C may home a third group of NXXsto end office 170.

End office 170, also known as a central office, may include a switch towhich subscriber trunks and/or loops may be terminated. End office 170may be the home for a group of NXXs.

It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, a component in FIG. 1may perform some or all of the functions described as being performed byanother component in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of network management device 110according to an exemplary embodiment. User device 120 may be similarlyconfigured. As illustrated, network management device 110 may include abus 210, processing logic 220, a main memory 230, a read only memory(ROM) 240, a storage device 250, an input device 260, an output device270, and a communication interface 280.

Bus 210 may include a path that permits communication among the elementsof network management device 110. Processing logic 220 may include aprocessor, a microprocessor, or other types of processing logic, such asan application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), etc., that may interpret and execute instructions.Main memory 230 may include a random access memory (RAM) or another typeof dynamic storage device that may store information and instructionsfor execution by processing logic 220. ROM 240 may include a ROM deviceor another type of static storage device that may store staticinformation and instructions for use by processing logic 220. Storagedevice 250 may include a magnetic and/or optical recording medium andits corresponding drive.

Input device 260 may include a mechanism that permits an operator toinput information to network management device 110, such as a keyboard,a mouse, a pen, voice recognition and/or biometric mechanisms, etc.Output device 270 may include a mechanism that outputs information tothe operator, including a display, a printer, a speaker, etc.Communication interface 280 may include any transceiver-like mechanismthat enables network management device 110 to communicate with otherdevices and/or systems, such as user device 120.

As will be described in detail below, network management device 110 mayperform certain operations. Network management device 110 may performthese and other operations in response to processing logic 220 executingsoftware instructions contained in a computer-readable medium, such asmain memory 230. A computer-readable medium may be defined as a physicalor logical memory device and/or carrier wave.

The software instructions may be read into main memory 230 from anothercomputer-readable medium, such as storage device 250, or from anotherdevice via communication interface 280. The software instructionscontained in main memory 230 may cause processing logic 220 to performprocesses that will be described later. Alternatively, hardwiredcircuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with, softwareinstructions to implement processes consistent with exemplaryembodiments. Thus, embodiments described herein are not limited to anyspecific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

Although FIG. 2 shows exemplary components of network management device110, in other embodiments, network management device 110 may containfewer, different, or additional components than depicted in FIG. 2. Instill other embodiments, one or more components of network managementdevice 110 may perform one or more of the tasks described as beingperformed by one or more other components of network management device110.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary functional block diagram of network managementdevice 110 according to an exemplary embodiment. As illustrated, networkmanagement device 110 may include a routing generation component 310, areport generation component 320, and an audit component 330.

Routing generation component 310 may receive new trunk information froma user (e.g., a user of user device 120) and may determine, based on thenew trunk information, changes in routing in network 100. For example,routing generation component 310 may obtain current network topology androuting information and may determine changes in routing that wouldoccur if the new trunk were installed. In one embodiment, routinggeneration component 310 may identify a virtual destination based on thenew trunk information (e.g., in those situations where the new trunkinformation indicates that a DEOT trunk is being installed that homes toan end office). The virtual destination may, for example, represent agroup of tandem switches, such as tandem switches 160, that home thesame end office (e.g., end office 170) to which the new trunk homes.Routing generation component 310 may also generate a virtual destinationname for the virtual destination that permits the user to easilyidentify a switch to which traffic is directed for the virtualdestination, as will be described in greater detail below. The virtualdestination name may allow the user to easily identify how traffic isrouted to the end office to which the new trunk homes.

Report generation component 320 may receive routing information fromrouting generation component 310 and may generate, in response thereto,a report for the user that shows, for example, how traffic is routedthrough network 100 prior to the installation of the new trunk and howtraffic is routed through network 100 after the installation of the newtrunk. In one implementation, the report may include the virtualdestination trunk name to allow the user to easily identify how trafficis routed to the end office to which the new trunk homes.

Audit component 330 may allow the user to audit the new routingconfiguration identified in the report generated by report generationcomponent 320. The audit may simulate the routing of traffic through thenew routing configuration to ensure that no round robins or dead endsexist in the new routing configuration.

Although FIG. 3 shows exemplary functional components of networkmanagement device 110, in other embodiments, network management device110 may contain fewer, different, or additional functional componentsthan depicted in FIG. 3. In still other embodiments, one or morefunctional components of network management device 110 may perform oneor more of the tasks described as being performed by one or more otherfunctional components of network management device 110.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of a database 400 that may be associatedwith network management device 110 according to an exemplary embodiment.While only one database is described below, it will be appreciated thatdatabase 400 may include multiple databases stored locally at networkmanagement device 110, or stored at one or more different and possiblyremote locations.

As illustrated, database 400 may include a group of entries in thefollowing exemplary fields: a number planning area (NPA) field 410, anNXX field 420, a destination field 430, and an end office (EO) field440. NPA field 410 may include information identifying a particular NPA(or area code) with which a telephone call may be associated. Forexample, for the telephone number 412-555-5555, the NPA may include“412.” NXX field 420 may identify an NXX that is associated with the NPAin NPA field 410. In the example above, the NXX may include “555.”Destination field 430 may include information identifying the device(e.g., a tandem switch) or virtual destination to which traffic for theNPA in NPA field 410 and the NXX in NXX field 420 is destined. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 4, telephone calls to telephone numbershaving an NPA of “111” and an NXX of “372” may terminate at a virtualdestination called “TKHOME-SW 150-A.” As another example, telephonecalls to telephone numbers having an NPA of “111” and an NXX of “577”may terminate at a tandem switched with a name of “TANDEM 111.” Endoffice field 440 may include information identifying an end office towhich telephone calls for the NPA and NXX in field 410 and 420,respectively, are to be routed. In the example of FIG. 4, telephonecalls to telephone numbers having an NPA of “111” and an NXX of “372”may be routed to end office 170.

Although FIG. 4 shows exemplary fields of database 400, in otherembodiments, database 400 may contain fewer, different, or additionalfields than depicted in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram of a portion of long distanceswitch 145 according to an exemplary embodiment. Switches 150 and tandemswitches 160 may be similarly configured. As illustrated, long distanceswitch 145 may include a group of input ports 510, switch logic 520, agroup of output ports 530, and routing logic 540.

Input ports 510 may be the points of attachments for physical links (notshown) and may be the points of entry for incoming traffic and servicerequests (e.g., telephone calls). Switching logic 520 may interconnectinput ports 510 with output ports 530. Switching logic 520 may beimplemented using many different techniques. For example, switchinglogic 520 may include busses, crossbars, and/or shared memories. Outputports 530 may receive traffic and service requests from switching logic520 and may output the traffic and service requests on one or moreoutput links (not shown). Control unit 540 may use routing protocols andmay create and/or maintain a switch table that is used in traffic andservice request forwarding.

Although FIG. 5 shows exemplary components of long distance switch 145,in other embodiments, long distance switch 145 may contain fewer,different, or additional components than depicted in FIG. 5. In stillother embodiments, one or more components of long distance switch 145may perform one or more of the tasks described below as being performedby one or more other components of long distance switch 145.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of a portion of a computer-readablemedium 600 that may be associated with long distance switch 145according to an exemplary embodiment. While only one computer-readablemedium is described below, it will be appreciated that computer-readablemedium 600 may include multiple computer-readable media stored locallyat long distance switch 145, or stored at one or more different andpossibly remote locations.

As illustrated, computer-readable medium 600 may include a group ofentries in the following exemplary fields: an NPA field 610, an NXXfield 620, and a destination identification (ID) field 630. NPA field610 may include information identifying a particular NPA (or area code)with which a telephone call may be associated. NXX field 620 mayidentify an NXX that is associated with the NPA in NPA field 610.Destination identification field 630 may include information identifyingthe device to which traffic for the NPA in NPA field 610 and the NXX inNXX field 620 is to be forwarded. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6,telephone calls to telephone numbers having an NPA of “111” and an NXXof “372” are to be forwarded to SW 150-A. In contrast to the way thedestination information is stored in database 400, the identificationinformation stored in computer-readable medium 600 may be stored as anumber (e.g., a network address) that represents switch 150-A.

Although FIG. 6 shows exemplary fields of computer-readable medium 600,in other embodiments, computer-readable medium 600 may contain fewer,different, or additional fields than depicted in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of a portion of a computer-readablemedium 700 that may be associated with a switch, such as switch 150-A,according to an exemplary embodiment. While only one computer-readablemedium is described below, it will be appreciated that computer-readablemedium 700 may include multiple computer-readable media stored locallyat switch 150-A, or stored at one or more different and possibly remotelocations.

As illustrated, computer-readable medium 700 may include a group ofentries in the following exemplary field: a priority routing field 710.Priority routing field 710 may include information describing the orderin which switch 150-A is to route traffic to end office 170. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 7, switch 150-A is to route traffic overDEOT 155. If routing via DEOT 155 is not possible, switch 150-A is toroute traffic to tandem switch 160-A. If routing via tandem switch 160-Ais not possible, switch 150-A is to route traffic via a Wide AreaTransport Service (WATS).

Although FIG. 7 shows an exemplary field of computer-readable medium700, in other embodiments, computer-readable medium 700 may containfewer, different, or additional fields than depicted in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for changing networkrouting according to an exemplary embodiment. In one embodiment, theprocessing of FIG. 8 may be performed by network management device 110.In another embodiment, some or all of the processing described below maybe performed by another device including or excluding network managementdevice 110.

Processing may begin with network management device 110 receiving trunkinformation for a new DEOT to be added to network 100 (block 810).Network management device 110 may also receive information identifyingthe new DEOT as a trunk home (block 810). Network management device 110may receive the trunk information and the trunk home information from auser of a user device, such as user device 120.

In one embodiment, network management device 110 may provide a graphicaluser interface (GUI) to user device 120 in response to, for example, theuser properly logging onto network management device 110. FIG. 9illustrates an exemplary GUI 900 that may be provided to a useraccording to one embodiment. As illustrated, GUI 900 may allow the userto identify a switch associated with the DEOT to be added. The user mayenter a name for the switch according to the Local Exchange RoutingGuide (LERG) or may enter other information identifying the switch. GUI900 may also allow the user to enter the identity of the end office towhich the DEOT will home. The user may enter a name for the end officeaccording to LERG or may enter other information identifying the endoffice that will be the destination of the DEOT. GUI 900 may furtherallow the user to enter information identifying the DEOT to be added.The user may enter, for example, a number or other informationidentifying the DEOT. GUI 900 may further allow the user to indicatethat the DEOT is a trunk home for the end office.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the user may indicate that atrunk, called DEOT 155, is to be added between switch SW 150-A and endoffice 170 and that DEOT 155 is a trunk home for end office 170. It willbe appreciated that GUI 900 may allow the user to provide fewer,different, or additional information than depicted in FIG. 9.

Returning to the processing described in FIG. 8, network managementdevice 110 (e.g., routing generation component 310) may identify theNXXs that home to the end office to which the new DEOT will connect(block 820). Network management device 110 may access a database, suchas database 400, that stores network topology and routing information toidentify the NXXs that home to the appropriate end office.

Network management device 110 (e.g., routing generation component 310)may further identify a virtual destination for the end office (block820). In one embodiment, network management device 110 may access adatabase, such as database 400, and may identify the tandem switcheswith which the identified NXXs are associated. Network management device110 may group the identified tandem switches as a virtual destinationfor the NXXs that home to the end office. For example, in the exemplarynetwork 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, network management device 110 mayidentify tandem switches 160 as a virtual destination for end office170.

Network management device 110 (e.g., routing generation component 310)may create a name for the new virtual destination. The name may includeinformation that will allow a user to readily identify the switch (e.g.,switch 150-A) to which traffic will be routed for the virtualdestination. In one embodiment, the name may be represented as“TKHOME—SWITCH NAME,” where TKHOME may indicate that the virtualdestination is a trunk home for the end office and SWITCH NAME mayindicate the name of the switch (e.g., the LERG name or another type ofidentifier). For example, in the exemplary configuration illustrated inFIG. 1, the virtual destination may be named “TKHOME—SW 150-A,” assumingthat “SW 150-A” is the LERG name (or another type of identifier) forswitch 150-A.

Network management device 110 may provide details regarding the oldrouting in network 100 (routing without the new DEOT) and new routing(routing with the new DEOT in place) (block 830). For example, in oneexemplary embodiment, network management device 110 (e.g., reportgeneration component 320) may create a report that shows how each switchin long distance network 140 will be changed based on the addition ofthe new DEOT. The report may include information regarding how eachswitch currently routes traffic for the particular NPA(s)/NXX(s)affected by the new DEOT and how the switches will route traffic for theNPA(s)/NXX(s) after the new DEOT is installed.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary GUI 1000 that may be provided to a useraccording to one embodiment. As illustrated, GUI 1000 may provide atrunk installation report that shows what changes will be made in thenetwork upon installation of the new DEOT. For example, the trunkinstallation report may provide changes that will be made to every longdistance switch in long distance network 140 and any other switchesoutside of long distance network 140 for which changes will be made. Theexemplary portion of the trunk installation report provided in GUI 1000may include a section 1010 that shows changes that will be made to longdistance switch 145 and a section 1020 that shows changes that will bemade to switch 150-A.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, three changes will be made to long distanceswitch 145 upon installation of the new DEOT. For example, for an NPAequal to “111” and an NXX equal to “518” or “828,” long distance switch145 will no longer route telephone calls for these NPA/NXXs to switch150-A for routing to tandem switch 160-A. Instead, long distance switch145 will route telephone calls for these NPA/NXXs to the virtualdestination “TKHOME-SW 150-A,” which indicates that switch 150-A is atrunk home for these telephone calls and that these telephone calls willbe routed to switch 150-A for routing over the new DEOT. For an NPAequal to “111” and an NXX equal to “372,” “444,” “819,” or “820,” longdistance switch 145 will no longer route telephone calls for theseNPA/NXXs to switch 150-B for routing to tandem switch 160-B. Instead,long distance switch 145 will also route telephone calls for theseNPA/NXXs to the virtual destination “TKHOME-SW 150-A.” For an NPA equalto “111” and an NXX equal to “154,” “222,” or “234,” long distanceswitch 145 will no longer route telephone calls for these NPA/NXXs toswitch 150-B for routing to tandem switch 160-C. Instead, long distanceswitch 145 will also route telephone calls for these NPA/NXXs to thevirtual destination “TKHOME-SW 150-A.”

As further illustrated in FIG. 10, the following exemplary change willbe made to switch 150-A upon installation of the new DEOT. For an NPAequal to “111” and an NXX equal to “154,” “222,” “234,” “372,” “444,”“518,” “819,” “820,” or “828,” switch 150-A will no longer routetelephone calls for these NPA/NXXs in the following order: tandem switch160-A and then WATS. Instead, switch 150-A will route telephone callsfor these NPA/NXXs in the following order: the new DEOT, tandem switch160-A, and then WATS.

Thus, the trunk installation report may show the user some or all of thechanges that will be made in network 100 upon installation of the newDEOT using LERG names (or another type of identifier) and virtualdestination names, as opposed to network addresses. In this way, theuser may easily identify how traffic will be routed upon installation ofa new DEOT.

GUI 1000 may further provide a back button 1030 that may allow the userto cancel the installation of the new DEOT or go back to a previous GUIto make changes to information that has been entered. GUI 1000 may alsoprovide a run audit button 1040 that allows the user to perform an auditof the new network routing configuration provided in the trunkinstallation report. It will be appreciated that GUI 1000 may providefewer, different, or additional information than depicted in FIG. 10.

Returning to the processing described in FIG. 8, network managementdevice 110 (e.g., audit component 330) may perform an audit of the newnetwork routing configuration (block 840). As indicated above, the usermay begin the audit by selecting run audit button 1040 in GUI 1000.Other ways of initiating the audit may alternatively be used. The auditmay involve, for example, simulating the transmission of traffic throughthe network based on the new network routing configuration provided inthe trunk installation report. The audit may determine whether roundrobins or dead ends have been created in network 100 based on the newnetwork routing configuration.

Upon performance of the audit, network management device 110 may providethe user with the results of the audit and may determine whether toimplement the changes in the trunk installation report (block 850). FIG.11 illustrates an exemplary GUI 1100 that may be provided to a useraccording to one embodiment. As illustrated, GUI 1100 may provide theuser with a list of issues that were identified in the audit. GUI 1100may also allow the user to indicate whether the user would like to makethe changes indicated in the trunk installation report. For example, theuser may indicate that the changes are not to be implemented in network100 by selecting the “NO” button in GUI 1100. The user may also indicatethat the changes are to be implemented in network 100 by selecting the“YES” button in GUI 1100. Other ways of initiating the changes to thenetwork may alternatively be used.

If the user does not want to the changes to be implemented (e.g., theuser selects the “NO” button in GUI 1100) (block 850—NO), processing mayend. In one implementation, network management device 110 may return theuser to an initial introductory screen or to GUI 900, where the user maybegin the trunk installation process again. If, on the other hand, theuser wants to implement the changes in the network (e.g., the userselects the “YES” button in GUI 1100) (block 850—YES), networkmanagement device 110 may cause the changes to be implemented in network100 (block 860). Network management device 110 may send the routingchanges (identified in the trunk installation report i.e., the changesto be made to the long distance switches and switch 150-A) to theswitches in the network in order to reconfigure the routing of theseswitches. In one exemplary embodiment, network management device 110 (oranother device) may convert the routing changes from one format toanother format prior to sending the routing changes to the switches.

In another exemplary embodiment, network management device 110 may sendthe routing changes to another device for updating the switches. Forexample, in one embodiment, network management device 110 may send therouting changes (or a converted version of the routing changes) to atransport system, which may log into every switch (e.g., long distanceswitches 145 in long distance network 140 and switch 150-A)simultaneously and may download the routing changes to network 100. Forexample, the transport system may cause the switches in long distancenetwork 140 (e.g., including long distance switch 145) to routetelephone calls for the NXXs that home to end office 170 to switch 150-A(the trunk home for end office 170). The transport system may, forexample, also cause the routing priority of switch 150-A to change sothat traffic received at switch 150-A is routed over the new DEOT first,to tandem switch 160-A second, and then to WATS third.

Upon completion of the routing changes to network 100, the transportsystem may notify network management device 110 that the routing changehas been successfully completed. In this way, every NXX that homes toend office 170 receives a new set of routing instructions and thoseinstructions direct traffic for those NXXs to switch 150-A, which isassociated with the new trunk home for end office 170.

Network management device 110 may, in response to receiving anotification that network 100 has been updated to reflect the routingchanges, update a database to reflect the changes (block 870). Forexample, network management device 110 may update database 400 toindicate that the destination of the NXXs that home to end office 170 isthe virtual destination—TKHOME-SW 150-A. If database 400 is subsequentlyaccessed for network configuration and/or network troubleshootingpurposes, a user may readily identify that traffic destined for endoffice 170 is routed to switch 150-A.

Routing traffic over a DEOT may be cheaper for a long distance providerthan routing traffic to an end office via a tandem switch. Thus, byrouting all traffic for end office 170 to switch 150-A for routing overDEOT 155, the cost to the long distance provider may be reduced.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for routing traffic in anetwork after a new DEOT has been installed. The processing of FIG. 12may be performed by long distance switch 145 (or another long distanceswitch in long distance network 140). Assume that the processingdescribed above with respect to FIG. 8 has been performed and longdistance switch 145 has been updated to route telephone calls for allNXXs that home to end office 170 to switch 150-A (the trunk home for endoffice 170). Processing may begin with long distance switch 145receiving a telephone call for an NXX that homes to end office 170(block 1210). For example, assume that the telephone call is for NPA“111” and NXX “372,” which homes to end office 170. Long distance switch145 may lookup the NPA/NXX for the telephone call (e.g., in acomputer-readable medium, such as computer-readable medium 600), and maydetermine that the telephone call is to be routed to switch 150-A.

Long distance switch 145 may route the telephone call toward switch150-A (the trunk home of end office 170 (block 1220). To route thetelephone call toward switch 150-A, long distance switch 145 may outputthe telephone call on an appropriate output port 530 of long distanceswitch 145.

The following example 1300 of FIGS. 13A-13H illustrates the processingdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 8 and 12. With reference to FIG.13A, assume that a portion of network includes a long distance (LD)network (e.g., long distance network 140), a long distance switch (e.g.,long distance switch 145), two class 3 switches SW1 and SW2 (e.g.,switches 150), three tandem switches TN1, TN2, and TN3 (e.g., tandemswitches 160), and an end office EO1 (e.g., end office 170). In thisexample, assume further that telephone calls to NPA “111” and NXXs“101,” “102,” and “103” are routed from the long distance switch to endoffice EO1 through switch SW1 and tandem switch TN1; telephone calls toNPA “111” and NXXs “201,” “202,” and “203” are routed from the longdistance switch to end office EO1 through switch SW2 and tandem switchTN2; and telephone calls to NPA “111” and NXXs “301,” “302,” and “303”are routed from the long distance switch to end office EO1 throughswitch SW2 and tandem switch TN3.

Now with reference to FIG. 13B, assume that a new DEOT 1310 is installedbetween switch SW1 and end office EO1, as indicated by the dotted line.To take advantage of the presence of DEOT 1310 in the network, a usermay desire to change the routing of the network. To do so, the user,using a user device (e.g., user device 120), may interact with a networkmanagement device (e.g., network management device 110) in the mannerdescribed above with respect to FIG. 8, as illustrated in FIG. 13C. Forexample, the user may log into the network management device. Oncelogged in, the network management device may provide one or moregraphical user interfaces to the user at the user device to facilitatechanging the routing of traffic in the network. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 13D, the network management device may provide atrunk installation graphical user interface that allows the user tospecify that DEOT 1310 is being installed between switch SW1 and endoffice EO1. Moreover, the graphical user interface may allow the user toidentify a number for the DEOT (called DEOT 1310 in this example) andindicate that this DEOT is a trunk home for end office EO1. Assume thatthat user enters the information illustrated in FIG. 13D and selects thesubmit button.

The network management device may identify all of the NXXs that home toend office EO1. In this example, the NXXs would include “101,” “102,”“103,” “201,” “202,” “203,” “301,” “302,” and “303” for NPA “111.” Thenetwork management device may automatically create a virtual destinationfor these NXXs. In this example, the virtual destination would beTKHOME-SW1, indicating that switch SW1 is the trunk home for end officeEO1.

The network management device may provide a report to the user of theuser device indicating the changes that will be made in the networkbased on the installation of new DEOT 1310. For example, as illustratedin FIG. 13E, the network management device may provide a trunkinstallation report that provides the user with information regardingall of the changes that will occur in the network based on theinstallation of DEOT 1310. The trunk installation report may provideinformation regarding how a particular network device routes trafficprior to the installation of DEOT 1310 and how the particular networkdevice will route traffic after installation of DEOT 1310.

As illustrated in the exemplary portion of the trunk installation reportshown in FIG. 13E, for an NPA equal to “111” and an NXX equal to “101,”“102,” or “103,” the long distance switch will no longer route telephonecalls for these NPA/NXXs to switch SW1 for routing to tandem switch TN1.Instead, the long distance switch will route telephone calls for theseNPA/NXXs to the virtual destination “TKHOME-SW1,” which indicates thatswitch SW1 is a trunk home for these telephone calls and that thesetelephone calls will be routed to switch SW1 for routing over new DEOT1310. For an NPA equal to “111” and an NXX equal to “201,” “202,” or“203,” the long distance switch will no longer route telephone calls forthese NPA/NXXs to switch SW2 for routing to tandem switch TN2. Instead,the long distance switch will route telephone calls for these NPA/NXXsto the virtual destination “TKHOME-SW1.” For an NPA equal to “111” andan NXX equal to “301,” “302,” or “303,” the long distance switch will nolonger route telephone calls for these NPA/NXXs to switch SW2 forrouting to tandem switch TN3. Instead, the long distance switch willroute telephone calls for these NPA/NXXs to the virtual destination“TKHOME-SW1.”

As further illustrated in FIG. 13E, the following exemplary change maybe made to switch SW1 upon installation of new DEOT 1310. For an NPAequal to “111” and an NXX equal to “101,” “102,” “103,” “201,” “202,”“203,” “301,” “302,” or “303,” switch SW1 will no longer route telephonecalls for these NPA/NXXs in the following order: tandem switch TN1 andthen WATS. Instead, switch SW1 will route telephone calls for theseNPA/NXXs in the following order: new DEOT 1310, tandem switch TN1, andthen WATS.

If the user is satisfied with the changes provided in the trunkinstallation report, the user may perform an audit of the network. Forexample, the user may select the run audit button in the trunkinstallation report to initiate the audit. As indicated above, thenetwork management device may simulate transmission of traffic throughthe network with the network routing changes in place. Via the audit,the network management device may determine whether round robins or deadends exist in the network with the network routing changes in place. Thenetwork management device may provide the results of the audit to theuser. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 13F, the network managementdevice may provide an indication of whether any issues were identifiedduring the audit. If an issue was identified, the network managementdevice may provide information regarding the issue to the user. In theexemplary graphical user interface depicted in FIG. 13F, the networkmanagement device may indicate that no issues were found during theaudit. If the user is satisfied with the audit results, the user mayelect to implement the network routing changes by selecting, forexample, the YES button.

Upon detecting that the user wants to implement the network routingchanges, the network management device may transmit information relatingto the network routing changes to a network routing configurationdevice, such as a transport system, as illustrated in FIG. 13G. Asindicated above, the network management device may convert the networkrouting changes from a first format to a second, different format priorto transmitting the network routing changes to the network routingconfiguration device. Alternatively, the network routing configurationdevice (or another device) may convert the network routing changes froma first format to a second, different format prior to downloading thenetwork routing changes to the appropriate network devices. The networkrouting configuration device may connect to each of the long distanceswitches in the long distance network and to switch SW1. The networkrouting configuration device may download the network routing changes tothe long distance switches and switch SW1. Upon downloading the networkrouting changes, the network routing configuration device may notify thenetwork management device that the long distance switches and switch SW1have been successfully updated with the network routing changes. Thenetwork management device may update a database to reflect the changesthat have been made to the network.

Thereafter, when a long distance switch receives a telephone call forNPA “111 “and NXX “101,” “102,” “103,” “201,” “202,” “203,” “301,”“302,” or “303,” the long distance switch may route the telephone callto switch SW1, as indicated in FIG. 13H. Upon receipt of the telephonecall, switch SW1 may route the telephone call to end office EO1 overDEOT 1310. In this way, traffic may be transmitted to end office EO1more cheaply than prior techniques.

The techniques described above are not limited to routing traffic to asingle end office. For example, FIGS. 14A-14B illustrate another example1400 of the processing described above with respect to FIGS. 8 and 12,where a first end office EO1 homes to a second end office EO2. Inexample 1400, assume that a portion of a network includes a longdistance (LD) network, three class 3 switches SW1, SW2, and SW3, threetandem switches TN1, TN2, and TN3, and end offices EO1 and EO2. Assumefurther that telephone calls to NPA “111” and NXX “101” are routed fromthe long distance network to end office EO1 through switch SW1 andtandem switch TN1; telephone calls to NPA “111” and NXX “201” are routedfrom the long distance network to end office EO1 through switch SW2 andtandem switch TN2; and telephone calls to NPA “111” and NXX “301” arerouted from the long distance network to end office EO2 through switchSW3 and tandem switch TN3. Assume further that a trunk exists betweenend office EO1 and end office EO2, allowing traffic to be transmittedfrom end office EO1 to end office EO2.

Assume that a new DEOT trunk 1410 is installed between switch SW1 andend office EO1, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 14A. To takeadvantage of the presence of DEOT 1410 in the network, a user may desireto change the routing of the network. To do so, the user, using a userdevice, may interact with a network management device in the mannerdescribed above to change the network routing of the switches in thelong distance network and the switch SW1. In this situation, however,the network management device may identify all of the NXXs that home toend office EO1 and end office EO2. In this example, the NXXs wouldinclude “101,” “201,” and “301” for NPA “111.” The network managementdevice may automatically create a virtual destination for these NXXs. Inthis example, the virtual destination would be TKHOME-SW1, indicatingthat switch SW1 is the trunk home for end offices EO1 and EO2, asillustrated in FIG. 14B.

A user may change the routing in the network to reflect that switch SW1is the trunk home for traffic going to end office EO1 or end office EO2,in a manner similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 8 andthe example of FIGS. 13A-13H. Thereafter, when a long distance switchreceives a telephone call for NPA “111” and NXX “101,” “201,” or “301,”the long distance switch may route the telephone call to switch SW1, asindicated in FIG. 14B. Upon receipt of the telephone call, switch SW1may route the telephone call to end office EO1 over DEOT 1410. If thetelephone call is for NPA “111” and NXX “301,” end office EO1 mayforward the call to end office EO2. By using DEOT 1410, traffic may betransmitted to end office EO1 and end office EO2 more cheaply than priortechniques.

Embodiments described herein may allow users to create virtualdestinations for routing traffic in a network. The virtual destinationsmay be associated with names that allow the users to readily identifythe actual network device to which traffic is routed, aiding in networkconfiguration and troubleshooting.

The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments provides illustrationand description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variationsare possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired frompractice of the invention. For example, while a series of acts has beendescribed with respect to FIGS. 8 and 12, the order of the acts may bevaried in other embodiments. Moreover, non-dependent acts may beimplemented in parallel.

The exemplary embodiments, as described above, may be implemented inmany different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in theimplementations illustrated in the figures. The actual software code orspecialized control hardware used to implement the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein is not limiting of the invention. Thus, the operationand behavior of the exemplary embodiments were described withoutreference to the specific software code—it being understood that onewould be able to design software and control hardware to implement theexemplary embodiments based on the description herein.

Further, certain portions of the invention may be implemented as “logic”that performs one or more functions. This logic may include hardware,such as an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmablegate array, a processor, or a microprocessor, software, or a combinationof hardware and software.

No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the presentapplication should be construed as critical or essential to theinvention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, thearticle “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only oneitem is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Further,the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise.

1. A method comprising: receiving first information relating to a trunkto be added between a switch and an end office; receiving secondinformation indicating that the trunk is a trunk home for the endoffice; and automatically creating a virtual destination for the endoffice based on the received first information and the received secondinformation, the virtual destination representing a group of firstnetwork devices associated with the end office and identifying theswitch.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of network devicesincludes a group of tandem switches.
 3. The method of claim 1 whereinthe automatically creating includes: identifying Numeric Numberingexchanges (NXXs) that home to the end office, and grouping tandemswitches that route traffic to the end office for the identified NXXs toform the virtual destination.
 4. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: providing a report identifying routing changes to be made toa group of switches in response to receiving the first information andthe second information to cause the group of switches to route trafficfor the end office to the switch.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein thereport identifies network routing prior to the trunk being added andnetwork routing after the trunk has been added.
 6. The method of claim 4wherein the report further indicates that the switch is to route trafficto the end office over the trunk prior to routing the traffic to othernetwork devices.
 7. The method of claim 4 further comprising: performingan audit of the identified routing changes; and providing results of theaudit.
 8. The method of claim 4 further comprising: causing the routingchanges to be made to the group of switches, and causing the routingchanges to be made to the switch.
 9. The method of claim 8 furthercomprising: updating a database to reflect the routing changes to thegroup of switches and the switch.
 10. A system comprising: a device to:receive first information relating to a trunk to be added between aswitch and an end office, receive second information indicating that thetrunk is a trunk home for the end office, and automatically identifynetwork routing changes to be made based on the received firstinformation and the received second information.
 11. The system of claim10, wherein the network routing changes include routing changes to longdistance switches in a long distance network and changes to the switch.12. The system of claim 10 wherein, when automatically identifyingnetwork routing changes, the device is configured to: identify NumericNumbering exchanges (NXXs) that home to the end office, and groupnetwork devices that route traffic for the identified NXXs to the endoffice as a virtual destination for the end office.
 13. The system ofclaim 12 wherein the virtual destination is associated with a name thatidentifies the switch.
 14. The system of claim 12 wherein the networkdevices include tandem switches.
 15. The system of claim 10 wherein thedevice is further configured to: perform an audit of the network routingchanges to identify issues that would occur if the network routingchanges were implemented.
 16. The system of claim 10 wherein the deviceis further configured to: cause the network routing changes to be madeto a group of long distance switches and the switch.
 17. The system ofclaim 16 wherein the device is further configured to: update a databaseto reflect the network routing changes after causing the network routingchanges to be made to the group of long distance switches and theswitch.
 18. The system of claim 10 wherein the identified networkrouting changes includes a change to the switch that causes the switchto route traffic to the end office over the added trunk prior to routingtraffic to other network devices.
 19. A method comprising: installing atrunk between a first switch and an end office, the trunk being a trunkhome for the end office; identifying Numeric Numbering exchanges (NXXs)that home to the end office, traffic for at least one of the identifiedNXXs being routed to the end office through a second switch that isdifferent than the first switch; and causing traffic for the identifiedNXXs to be routed to the first switch.
 20. The method of claim 19wherein the first switch and the second switch include class 3 switches.21. The method of claim 19 further comprising: identifying tandemswitches that are associated with the identified NXXs; and grouping theidentified tandem switches to form a virtual destination for the endoffice.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the virtual destination isassociated with a name that identifies the first switch.
 23. The methodof claim 19 wherein the causing occurs in response to a command from auser.
 24. The method of claim 19 further comprising: routing the trafficfrom the first switch directly to the end office over the installedtrunk.